One strategy in the ever-evolving content marketing landscape has consistently proven its worth: Personal Content.
At its core, personal content is about transparency, authenticity, and storytelling. This approach allows businesses to connect with their audience on a deeper, more intimate level by showcasing the people and values behind their brand.
For outdoor brands, personal content provides an avenue to engage with consumers who are passionate about the outdoors and seeking brands that align with their values and interests. This connection can foster trust, loyalty, and community among your audience.
Personal content is one of the four content pillars all successful brands implement into their marketing strategies.
Let's delve into various types of personal content that outdoor brands can utilise to enrich their content marketing strategy.
Behind The Scenes
Let's start with a peek behind the curtain.
Your audience is interested in more than just your final product; they want to know how it came to be.
Sharing behind-the-scenes content shows the passion, dedication, and hard work that goes into creating your products.
This could take many forms, from a video tour of your manufacturing facilities to time-lapse footage of a product being made. You could also share candid moments from team brainstorming sessions or team outings.
Example: Patagonia
Patagonia is a renowned outdoor brand known for its transparency.
They've shared numerous behind-the-scenes looks into their supply chain, from their organic cotton farms to their fair-trade sewing factories.
They even created a documentary called "The Footprint Chronicles" that details their efforts to use sustainable practices in their manufacturing processes.
Personal Stories
Personal stories are the heart and soul of your brand. They provide context, background, and a deeper understanding of who you are as a brand.
Feature stories of your founders, employees, or even customers and their love for the outdoors.
Showcasing these stories can inspire and resonate with your audience as they see reflections of their own passion for the outdoors. These stories also highlight how personal experiences have shaped the brand's mission and values.
Personal stories can be shared in various formats, like blog posts, video interviews, or social media posts.
Example: The North Face
The North Face has a series called "Faces of Exploration", where they share stories of their sponsored athletes and explorers.
These personal narratives allow the audience to connect with the brand by seeing the people who use and trust their gear in extreme conditions.
Beliefs and Values
Your brand is more than a logo or a product; it represents certain beliefs and values.
For outdoor brands, this often includes a commitment to sustainability, environmental stewardship, and a love for adventure.
Craft content that communicates these commitments and values to your audience. This could be a blog post detailing your sustainability efforts, a social media campaign highlighting your partnerships with environmental organizations, or even a video showcasing your team participating in a local cleanup drive.
Remember, consumers today are conscious about the brands they support; they prefer brands that align with their personal values.
Demonstrating your brand's commitment to these values can significantly enhance your audience's trust and loyalty.
Example: REI
REI has powerfully demonstrated its commitment to environmental stewardship and outdoor education.
Their "OptOutside" campaign, where they close their stores on Black Friday and encourage people to spend the day outdoors, is a great example of a brand living its values.
They've also produced numerous videos and articles on their blog about outdoor ethics, conservation, and sustainability.
Personal content is a powerful tool for outdoor brands. It allows you to humanize your brand, foster trust and loyalty, and form a community around shared values and passions.
Remember, authenticity is key.
Authentic personal content resonates more deeply with audiences and creates stronger, lasting connections.
By giving your audience a look at the people, stories, and values behind your brand, you can create a brand narrative that sells products and inspires and resonates with your audience.
Embrace personal content and watch your brand's connection with its audience deepen and grow.
